San Francisco Travel Diary

San Francisco.. Ah, where to start! The city of hills, multi-coloured Victorian homes, cable cars and fog. If you've been following along on Instagram or Snapchat (@gabpacifico) you would have seen my mom and I took a pre-Holiday vacation to take in a few days in the Bay area. We spent our days walking endlessly, trying all the restaurants that we possibly could, and exploring the different areas of the city. Although the sun may have only graced us once we had such a great time. San Fran is a undeniably beautiful city with so much to do and see. I put together a mini diary from our stay as being here only a few days makes me in no way an expert on the city. I'm sharing my favourites from where to find some delicious coffee, shop local and see some great views.

Stay

We went on a limb booking this trip as we didn't know much about San Francisco prior to going. We stayed at the Marker Hotel which was a few minutes walk from Union Square. Union Square is the main shopping area in San Fran, and the amount of stores in this vicinity will literally blow your mind. I mean-- Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Macy's, Bergdorf's, all within a few minutes walk?! Staying near Union Square may be touristy but it is definitely central. 

I loved the Marker for the hydration stations outside the elevator (I need to remember to drink more water while travelling), and their wine reception from 5:00-6:00pm. Coming back to a glass or two after a long day of site-seeing was definitely appreciated! The rooms were a fine size, and there was wifi. What more did we need?

Eat

Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day, so I always try scope out some must try spots before leaving home. Favourites included Jane and Café St. Jorge (which was a mission to get to, as it is in the Mission!). Jane has two locations and I recommend venturing out to the location on Filmore Street that way you can shop this adorable street. Jane's menu is full of healthy salads, avo toast (obvi), smoothies and more. Their counter is stacked with treats, gluten free goodies, and take home granola. I wanted to try it all! You also cannot go to San Francisco without trying Mr.Holmes Bakeshop for some seriously delicious pastries, and no, sadly we didn't make the 9:00AM cruffin craze. Other notables that I would have loved to try are Tartine and Dandelion Chocolate. There never is enough time, is there?!

{Jane on Larkin Street}

For lunch I loved Souvla, for a healthy take on Greek food. And Jane again… we could't get enough!  You could also head down to Fisherman's Warf for some seafood, or a bowl of Boudin's famous calm chowder. There is also an insane amount of Mexican restaurants in San Fran. Check out Trip Advisor to choose your favourite! We had a delicious meal at Colibri. 

{Jane on Filmore}

The coffee scene in San Francisco is one of the best I've experienced. We tried the famous Blue Bottle, Peet'z, and -my personal favourite- Philz. Philz focuses on my favourite kind of coffee-- drip. But it's their blends that are so creative and tasty. My favourite was the Tesora- full of butter, nut and caramel aromas. So comforting! 

{Cafe St.Jorge}

Do
Some of my favourite moments from this trip were spent just wandering the streets! There are so many different neighbourhoods to visit which makes it's hard to see it all. Hayes Valley was one of my favourite areas for shops and eating. 

Filmore Street also became a favourite area of mine. Be sure to pop into Nest for some unique decor finds, as well as Jonathon Adler. There is also a Rebecca Minkoff boutique as well as Alive + Olivia. For beauty finds be sure to hit up the Benefit boutique, Aesop and -my favourite- Credo Beauty for clean and natural beauty products. 

We took the time to walk up Lombard Street for some incredible views, took a stroll through Chinatown, and made it all the way to be pier. We had a Full House moment in Alamo Square, and we also walked through the famous Haight-Asbury and found some pretty interesting characters along the way. You must jump on a cable car just for the sake of it, and make your way across the Golden Gate bridge. Like I said, SO much to do! 

Keep scrolling for more pics! And stay tuned for more from San Francisco and Palm Springs.

{Souvla}

{Philz, and a cable car decked out for the Holidays}

{Haight-Ashbury}

{Mr.Holmes Bakshop}

{Octavia Street}

{delicious- Smitten ice cream}

{houses around Alamo Square}

{walking up Lombard Street}

{Chinatown}

{Mom (aka the best travel partner!) and I}

Have you ever been to San Francisco? What are your favourite things to do in this stunning city?